


To Win Him

by Veridiansoul



Category: Yuri!!! on Ice (Anime)
Genre: M/M, Military, Military AU, takes place a few years after canon
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-07-01
Updated: 2017-07-01
Packaged: 2018-11-22 00:18:29
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,245
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11368644
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Veridiansoul/pseuds/Veridiansoul
Summary: A brief snapshot of Yuri's life and how he feels while Otabek is away serving his country.





	To Win Him

**Author's Note:**

> This is based on a headcanon by yurihoplisetsky on Tumblr that I took the liberty of writing out. I apologize if it sucks. I haven't written fanfiction in a longgg time, but I was struck with inspiration.

When Otabek withdrew from all skating events for the next year immediately after the Grand Prix Final Yuri knew everything would change. He didn't even hear it from Otabek himself. As soon as his withdrawal became official every platform remotely concerned with figure skating exploded over the news. Yuri didn't wait to hear the full coverage of the story the morning the information was released. The broadcast had only just started when Yuri dropped his spoon into his bowl of cereal with a splash and went to his room to Skype Otabek. He yelled until his throat hurt and meticulously braided and unbraided his hair while he forced Otabek to explain himself. Turns out, Otabek would be out of the running for the next two years as he served his country in the military. Yuri wouldn't admit that he cried, but between the two of them, more tears were shed that day than when he won the Grand Prix Final. Between both their busy schedules, Yuri was only able to spend two weeks with Otabek before his tour of duty started after he found out.

Looking back on it now, it had been painfully obvious that Otabek would throw his heart and soul into the military exactly the same way he did on ice. Somewhere in those two weeks of bliss, Yuri discovered just how far his boyfriend was willing to go for his country. The tattoo of Kazakhstan's flag covering his shoulders hadn't been there the last time Yuri saw Otabek shirtless, but his painted fingernails scratched across the symbol whenever they had time to waste wrapped around each other in bed. His boyfriend’s short messages about how proud he was about serving his country became all too real after Yuri had time to think about just how much that meant to his Beka.

Learning more about Otabek sparked him learning more about himself in the process. He never thought he'd be jealous of a country, but he wanted Otabek to be just as devoted to him as he was to his home country. So much in fact, that he demanded they get matching tattoos just so that he could feel special to Otabek too. It just felt better to look down at the little bear face tattoo on the inside of his left ring finger and know that Otabek had a little cat face on his. He had always associated the bear with Otabek because that's what all his fans threw on the ice, but when he realized it was because of Kazakhstan, Yuri couldn't help but feel that he had lost to a country all over again. It was one thing to be second place behind another person, but to be second best to a country hurt more than he thought.

It didn’t help that the distance between them only seemed to get worse. The Skype sessions stopped and he only got a text message every now and then. The excuse for not calling was because of the time difference, but it had never bothered them before. His Christmas and birthday presents for Otabek sat wrapped and unopened in a corner of his bedroom for two whole years, gathering dust and occasionally covered with blankets to save Yuri from having to look at them. He wanted to say he was doing fine without his boyfriend as a constant in his life. Years had passed blissfully without Otabek at his side before they ever met officially, but now that he had a taste of how love was supposed to feel like it burned more than ever to be alone. All the previous Skype sessions and long conversations that always bled into the next day had spoiled him into expecting more. Waking up to find nothing on his phone left him with a bitter taste in his mouth and a lackluster attitude every single day.

Yuri still skated competitively, but after losing contact with his muse for so long he fell in the ranks far enough to barely claw his way on to the podium to qualify for the Grand Prix Final the second year. The first year of Otabek’s disappearance from competing had Yuri functioning out of pure anger and spite. He wasn’t able to ever let go that he hadn’t been the first to be told and used that anger to hit the competition hard enough to rip another gold medal from another skater’s hands in the name of Russia. The second year had hit him harder than he could hit back and left him falling into a depression that used to just scratch at the back of his mind. It was a miracle that Yuri scraped by, but the crushing disappointment he felt radiating off of the people close to him and the country he represented left him wishing he had never placed high enough to qualify. 

He had just finished his free skate program and sat stiffly in the kiss and cry. There were too many stumbles and a lack of emotion for him to ever place high enough to take home bronze, let alone gold. This knowledge had Yuri sitting quietly and resolute next to Yakov and Lilia who didn’t even make a comment when he stepped off the ice. Melancholy green eyes didn’t even look up to see the score that would be placed before him. They were focused on the exit and just how badly he wanted to leave and hole up in Viktor and Yuuri’s apartment. The assurance of katsudon and enough alcohol to send them all into a tizzy was more promising than being told he wasn’t good enough.

Suddenly his heart stops and it’s not because of the abysmally low score now tied in with his career. Standing just inside the arena is a man dressed in a military uniform and has a jawline that Yuri could never forget in a million years. He looks disheveled as if he had just run from the other side of town. In his arms is a tiger plushy that only has one connotation in the figure skating world. Within seconds Yuri is up and running while pushing his way roughly through the crowd. Yakov yells something that isn’t decipherable above the pounding of his heart, but he could never bring himself to care. Despite all the pain he was put through the past two years, Yuri would always run back to him a million times over without a second thought.

His long, gangly arms slipped over the soldier’s shoulders at the same time a plushy was dropped in favor of catching him and squeezing tight. As soon as he was hefted up further against the muscular chest below his own Yuri couldn’t help but choke out a sob and run a hand through the soldier’s significantly shorter hair.

“I-Is it you? Is it really you, Beka? Is this real?” A hiccup broke his words halfway through the sentence, but the soldier holding him like he was the whole world kept the moment of weakness far from his mind. He hadn’t heard it in so long, but when his reason for living nodded and mumbled into his long blonde hair Yuri sobbed harder than he ever had before.

“It’s me Yura. I’m home.”

It was an unexpected end to the Grand Prix. Yuri had gotten last place, but if anyone asked him what he thought of that day he’d always say that without a doubt he won gold.


End file.
